It may surprise you to discover I have been learning to box. When I am sparring, I am notorious for dropping my left hand, which means my face is left unprotected. My trainer keeps telling me that I am going to get punched in the face if I don’t protect myself with the left hand. Do I listen? Eh… sort of…This did remind me of a quote from Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight professional boxer, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” I realized my current plan was to land a punch, not protect myself. To really protect my face, I would have to learn to punch differently. I would have to change the way I do things.
It is so easy not to change methods when life and work are going okay. You skate along for a while following a plan, then status quo sets in. You think about ways to improve or make things better without much action. Then, WHAM! You get punched in the face. NOW you want to change and change fast.
I have a client who hired a woman who had worked for him for years. She was mean to clients, obstinate with her boss, and a stickler for doing things HER way. When a handful of great employees met with my client and told him that they were all leaving because of this woman, he knew he had to do something fast. He had let his left hand drop by keeping her for so long and he got punched in the face with the threat of losing better performing employees.
He immediately fired the employee who was difficult and workplace morale dramatically improved. What took him so long? Change normally requires an impetus. Significant “pain” must be present for the motivation to kick in to make changes, especially when they are perceived as tough to accomplish or hurtful to others.
I say punch bad hiring and firing techniques in the mouth and change your processes. Hire and retain great employees and replace those who are not a fit. With A-list Interviews training program, you will improve your plan and learn how to protect your assets. Don’t wait.